Egypt Charges Cartoonist with Terror; US Still Calls Sisi 'Strategic Partner'
The New Arab reports that Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar faces criminal court on terrorism charges. His crime? Art. Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to trumpet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a crucial 'strategic partner.' This partnership, by the way, includes nearly $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid, as per the Congressional Research Service reports for 2023.
Apparently, torturing dissidents and jailing satirists doesn't disqualify a regime from Washington's largesse. While Egyptian courts are busy defining pens as weapons of terror, the U.S. State Department issues boilerplate statements about 'human rights concerns' without ever threatening to touch the aid faucet. How many cartoonists must be silenced before 'strategic partnership' starts sounding
suspiciously like tacit endorsement of authoritarianism?